President's Profile | National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology

Having obtained his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine at Osaka University in 1972, and a PhD in 1979, President Toshio Hirano has held many positions of responsibility at Osaka University and other academic institutions over the years. These roles have included several professorships, Dean of the Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine and President of Osaka University. He also acted as a President of the Japanese Society for Immunology and an Executive member of Council for Science, Technology and Innovation Cabinet Office, Japan. Most recently, in 2016, he was appointed as the first President of National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, QST.

With more than 250 peer-reviewed publications to his name, President Hirano is an eminent researcher in the field of molecular immunology. He is best known for the important discovery of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene in 1986 and for the clarification of the role of this gene in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. This work has led to him being honoured with some of the most prestigious Japanese and international awards for scientific research, including the Novartis Prize for Immunology in 1992, the Emperor’s Purple Ribbon Medal in 2006, the Crafoord Prize in 2009 (of which he was the first ever Japanese recipient), and the Japan Prize in 2011.

Given his status as a world-renowned scientist, President Hirano is passionate about advancing QST as a world-class institution. President Hirano plans to lead QST in its aspiration to become a platform for quantum science and technology research and development at the world’s highest level, in order to contribute to the promotion of a peaceful and spiritually rich human society through the creation of harmonious diversity through quantum science and technologies.